Diabetes Matters Spring 2021

Page 30

EATING

well

GO WITH YOUR GUT A new book from the CSIRO outlines a diet that may dramatically improve our digestive health – and our general wellbeing. MYKE BARTLETT writes. As the saying goes, we are what we eat. But new research is showing that what we eat, and the impact it has on the ecology of our gut, has a profound impact on our immune system, our overall sense of wellbeing and even our brain. Eating the right types of high fibre foods means we’re feeding the gut microbiome – all those microbes in our digestive system, good and bad – with the fuel it needs to grow the good bacteria, which can have particular benefits for people living with diabetes. Research scientist and dietitian Pennie Taylor is one of the authors of The CSIRO Gut Care Guide, designed as an easy introduction to the world of soluble fibre, insoluble fibre and resistant starch – three ingredients that are, in careful measures, the secret to good gut health. Taylor says she became interested in the gut health diet after an increasing number of patients at her clinic were suffering from mysterious gut disturbances. “Patients were getting quite a lot of complaints called dysbiosis. We worked through several scenarios of FODmaps or other diets to reduce either carbohydrate burden or additives and preservatives. It didn't matter what we took out, we still saw a growth in my clients having gut concerns.” A CSIRO survey mapped out a constellation of common symptoms including bloatedness, reflux, general discomfort and fatigue. Many of Taylor's patients hadn’t made the connection between gut health and a lack of wellbeing. “A lot of people will say, well, that is because I'm busy or getting older. People become quite dismissive of those types of symptoms.” This dysbiosis – brought on by an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut or “microbiome” – is a symptom of modern living, where our diets are increasingly dominated by extensively processed foods, added salts and sugars, and a lack of diverse and proper fibre. “There’s a number of reasons why we have an imbalance in our gut microbiome, but more predominantly, it can be 28

brought on by poor diet and lifestyle choices over the longer term. We also know that inflammation caused by a longer term poor diet and lifestyle choices are what contributes to the development of disease, including type 2 diabetes.” The new book aims to make what can seem a complex diet – with its talk of multiple kinds of fibre, starches and the gut microbiome – simple to implement, even for those of us with busy lifestyles. Within the pages are a variety of daily food plans, adapted to shift workers and the time poor. The diet also fits in with reducing carbs and might help people manage or even prevent diabetes. Poor gut health – or an unbalanced gut microbiome – is associated with a condition called leaky gut, which is thought to play a causative role in developing type 2 diabetes. “We know type 2 diabetes is associated with increased intestinal permeability and what people would call leaky gut,” Taylor says. “There is accumulating evidence that looks at the differences in the gut microbiome link for people with type 2 diabetes compared to individuals without type 2 diabetes. Eating more resistant starch has also been shown to prevent some cancers, slow the progression of type 2 diabetes, and assist in immune defence.” One solution to our lifestyle issues will be foods that are fortified with or enhanced by cutting edge food tech, such as the growing trend for producers to include prebiotic fibre (one of the magic ingredients for gut health) in their products. This is more than empty marketing spin. CSIRO’s patented BARLEYmax™️, a resistant starch grain the organisation developed, has been put into a wide range of cereals, bars and breads that can now legitimately make claims about improving digestive wellness. Taylor says she’s also aware that, in our digital age of mass misinformation, consumers often have difficulty telling apart the claims backed by scientific organisations such as CSIRO from those made by the so-called wellness industry. “Personally, I think our scientists and our clinicians need to be a bit more vocal about what the science is saying. The


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